Tiptoe treadle construction for stove drawers



Sept. 21, 1954 T, CLlNE 2,689,776

TIPTOE `TREDLE CONSTRUCTION FOR STOVE DRAWERS Filed July l, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 21, 1954 T, @UNE 2,689,776

TIPTOE TREADLE CONSTRUCTION FOR STOVE DRAWERS Filed July 1 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 15 Patented Sept. 21, 1954 2,689,776 TIPTOE TREADLE CONSTRUCTION EDR STOVE DRAWERS Truman H. Cline, Newark, Ohio, assignor to Sears,

Roebuck and of New York Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation Application .Iuly 1f, 1950, Serial No. 171,637

Claims.

The present invention relates to steel cabinet work and is concerned more particularly with a foot pedal operated drawer actuating mechanism.

In certain kitchen furniture articles of all metal construction in which utility and storage drawers are provided which are made up of storage compartments and face panels or escutcheon's, various modes of drawer operation have been practiced which facilitate convenience and ease of operation. To illustrate there need be mentioned but a few of these methods which include surface andl recessed handle pulls, cam and lever drawer ejector's, etc.

In the construction of certain household kitchen furniture articles such as tables, stoves and storage bins a definite style trendis recognized in a direction towards eliminating surface protrusions and recessednger pulls. In the construction of various hospital fixtures, medical hygiene favoring the elimination of sharp angle crevices has further supported this trend with the ultimate result of creating a, need for flush type escutcheon panels that may be simply and expeditiously maintained clean and sanitary by sweeping surface wiping effort. In the standard pate terns of kitchen stoves which are constructed and finished in White enamelv surface finishes, the

elimination of protruding and recessed drawer pulls makes possible a more faithful adherence to these principles of cleanliness and hygiene and the present invention concerns itself with proa viding a drawer ejecting mechanism which is rugged and simple in its fabrication andf construction so that the drawer faces may be'formed:

with a full surface smoothness. In the opera'f tion of herein disclosed embodiments of these mechanisms, it is contemplated further that they be so disposed as to lend themselves tobe opere ated by foot motion or toe depression and to be disposed near the lowermost or floor levelf of thev structure for this purpose as well as for the pur-f pose of` occupying an out of visual range position with respect to the major aesthetics which conf stitute a composite front'panel.

The principal objectl of the present inventiontherefore is one of achieving a drawer ejecting` mechanism which is simple to constructv and which may be fabricated under conditions ofl so as to b e free of those detriments that resulty from Wear and long` usage affecting longevity and e'iciency adversely.

(ol. S12- 319) A further object of the present invention is to provide a drawer operating mechanism, the principal components of which maybe disposed behind shielding or panelingV whereby to affect a minimum extent flush styling characteristics.

Further objects of the present invention` are such as will become more evident during the course of the followingv detailed description as shall be understood from the hereunto appended claims.

Attention will now be directed to a specific description of a preferred embodiment of this invention. In the. following specification and to the illustrations in the accompanying drawings like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a steel cabinet structure such as may form a supporting base for a kitchen cabinet or oven;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of kitchen fixture similar to Fig. 1 showing an advanced condition ofmanual operation performed thereon;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is aV view similar to Fig. 3 showing the operating mechanismwhich embodies certain fea-V operating mechanism under somewhat reduced` scale and may be identified by the locating arrows 5-5 on Fig. 3, and

k Fig. 6 is a plan sectional view taken approxi-4 mately on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

. Thel principal cabinet chosen to illustrate this invention is of a-type fabricated entirely of sheet steel and having side walls, one of which is visible in 2l and thereat indicated 11. The frontal wall of this apparatus which may be welded to or integratedv with the side walls II is indicated I2 in Figs. 3 and 4 and is preferably provided with a lowerrnost inlet curvature as at I3 so that the housewife or kitchen attendant may be permitted to stand close to the table or other structure with the inlet curvature affording a nethermost clearance or toe recess.

The front panel I2 is provided variously with rectangular apertures usually constructed with inwardly turned iianges as atV I4 having length- 3 pivotally carried on horizontal brackets I8 riveted or welded to the side frames or to suitable internal partitions within the base of the cabinet.

Whether the drawers I are in this way or otherwise supported and guided is of secondary importance to the present invention, it being of primary signicance 'to establish that for best results the movement of the drawer mechanisms should be attended with sufficient ease and freedom from frictional impairment to avoid any condition of binding or jamming such as might be consequent from the use of inert drawer supporting ledges.

Each drawer compartmentl is provided with an escutcheon or face panel 2| to which it may be secured as by welding or riveting. This escutcheon may itself be shaped in a rectangular outline and obtains simulated thickness by being dished through a drawing process so as to present a planar surface edging 22 to impinge against the face of the frontal panel I2.

In this way the surface panels 2l are permitted to remain intact with their iiush smooth lines unbroken by either recess or protruberance factors. A pusher arm 24 formed of a single length of wire rod is provided having oppositely outturned pintles 25 that pass through circular aper* tures formed in the ear extensions 23 of a pivot bracket 21, see especially Fig. 5. The pusher arm 2d passes through a closely chambered rectangular aperture 28 in the frontal panel I2 at a point thereof which is eiiectively concealed from view at all times by the encompassing dimensions of the escutcheons 2 I.

Pivot brackets 21 may be given an additional quality of rigidity so as to be constructable of comparatively light sheet metal by being formed with lengthwise extending flutes or ribs 29. The lowermost extremities of the brackets 21 form pivot journals as at 3I by being appropriately shaped in semicylindrical fashion to encompass the transversely extending pivot rods or pins 32 shown to be solid members as in Figs. 3 and 4 or equally practical as a cotter pin device as shown in Fig. 5. A

To the innermost surfaces of these brackets 21 there is integrated, preferably by welding, a composited foot bracket attachment made of two components, a major one 33 having a rigidifying formed. rib 34 and being shaped with an acute angle whereby to afford the disposition shown in Fig. 3 during the retracted condition of the pusher or plunger 24, and a minor component 35 having an obtuse angle complimentary to that of the major bracket 33. The weld points whereby the components 33 and 35 are integrated to one another and with the bracket 21 are designated 36,

Figs. 3 and 4. Y v

Those portions of components 33 and 35 which after assembly become attached tothe inner sur faces of the brackets 21, lie in a common plane and of these the extremity 33 of bracket 33 serves the additional purpose of closing or completing the journal encompassment of the pivot rod or pins 32.

In order to further journal the pivot element 32, the inlet curvature portions of the walls I2 are preferably stamp-sheared and struck out to provide pivot supporting ears 4I, see particularly Fig. 1, although it will be understood that this support can be accomplished by other methods such as by surface-secured independent trunnion bracket fixtures having elements comparable with the ears 4I and similarly placed.

The horizontally extending portion of components 33 and 35 may be permitted to protrude outwardly through a closely defining aperture 42 in the wall I3 and because the movement of the bracket 21 is pivotal with the horizontal portions of members 33 and 35 closely approximating an arcuate path through the aperture 42 the interruption of this surface by reason of the aperture located in the inlet curvature wall I3 confines the esthetic variance to a minimum.

The outwardly extending portion of component 33 is bent to afford -contiguous offsets designated 44, i5 and 46 of which offset facet 44 may be provided with a bumper stop 41 to rest on the floor surface when the mechanism is extended after the manner illustrated in Fig. 4. Offset facet 46 is perforated to permit the passage therethrough of mounting screws and to its inner surface there is attached a foot pedal molding 48 significantly profiled to present a curvature surface as at 49 preferably paralleling the iilleted or dished shape of the escutcheons 2l and ribbed as at 5I to contribute traction during engagement by the attendants operating toe, see also Fig. 6.

When the drawer is closed and the ejecting mechanism is fully receded which is its condition shown in Fig. 3, curvature i3 closely denes the foregoing disclosed lleted surface of escutcheons 2i and also contributes towards retaining the drawers against any possibility of free rolling in a forward direction as during vibration or violent closing. During ajar or open condition of the drawer, the foot pedal and its integrally associated leverage mechanism drops below the drawer level so as to be aesthetically concealed from view and so as to be functionally clear of encounter.

While the present invention has been explained and described with reference to specifically contemplated forms and mechanical elements, it will be understood nevertheless that it is susceptible to moderate degrees of change and variationwithout departing from the essential spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly it is not intended to be limited to the illustrations which have been chosen in the accompanying drawings nor to the specific language employed in the foregoing description except as indicated in the hereunto appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

' 1. A foot operated mechanism for opening drawers comprising the combination with a hori- 'zontally slidable drawerhaving a frontal escutcheon overlapping in dimensions the perimetric outline ofthe forward portion of the drawer, of a treadle lever horizontally pivoted at a lowermost extremity on a pivot element, a pivoted plunger articulated to an uppermost extremity of said treadle lever and guided in linear motion against the inner surface of said escutcheon, and an arm integral with said treadle lever extending forwardly intermediate of its uppermost and lowermost extremities, said arm terminating with a foot pedal for engagement during operation, the said foot treadle being shaped to provide a curvature conforming with the outer contour of said escutcheon and when in receded condition being disposed in the path of forward movement of said escutcheon to deter inadvertent opening of said drawer and escutcheon.

l 2. In a kitchen cabinet or similar device, a

curvature,adrawer supported for slidable move--V ment through said panel opening having at its foremost end a dished sheet metal escutcheon overlapping in dimensions the perimetric outline of the forward portion of said drawer, and an apparatus for opening said drawer by inward pressure against its said escutcheon comprising a horizontally pivoted foot treadle having an integral arm intermediate its extremities extending forwardly through an opening in the receding curvature portion of said frontal panel and terminating with a first angularly bent facet portion to which is secured a bumper and a iinal bent facet portion to which is secured a foot engagement portion, and a pusher pivotally carried by the uppermost extremity of said foot treadle and extending in a horizontal direction through an aperture in said frontal panel to exert a motion parallel to the movement of said drawer against the inner surface of its said escutcheon as said foot treadle is rotated correspondingly about its said horizontal pivot.

3. In a cabinet or the like comprising a base structure housing a horizontally shiftable drawer having a frontal escutcheon overlapping in dimensions the perimetric outline of the forward portion of the drawer, a treadle pivoted on a pivot element mounted on the internal surface of a frontal panel of said structure, a plunger articulated to an uppermost extremity of said treadle and passing through an opening of said frontal panel to engage the inner surface of said escutcheon, said treadle including an arm which passes through an opening of said frontal panel, said arm mounting at its extremity a protuberant molding shaped to provide a curvature conforming with the contour of -said escutcheon and adapted, during the unoperated condition of said treadle, to be disposed in the path of forward movement of said drawer whereby to retain said drawer in its closed condition.

4. In a kitchen cabinet device, a base structure including a frontal panel having a rectangular opening through which there is received a storage drawer, said panel terminating at its lowermost level horizontally with a receding portion for af- 6 fording toe clearance, a drawer received in said opening having at its foremost end a face panel overlapping in dimensions the perimetric outline of the forward portion of said drawer, and a mechanism for opening said drawer comprising a horizontally pivoted treadle lever having a foot engaged operating arm extending through an opening in the receding portion of said frontal panel, and a pusher pivoted in the uppermost extremity of said lever and passing through an opening in said frontal panel which guides said pusher in a direction parallel to the movement of said drawer to push against the inner surface of said face panel, the terminal portion of said operating arm when the same is in non-operating condition being disposed in the path of forward movement of said drawer to deter inadvertent opening of said drawer.

5. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of a base structure including a frontal panel having a substantially rectangular opening through which is received a slidable drawer, said drawer having at its foremost end a face panel at least a portion of which overlaps a portion of the frontal panel adjacent said opening, a treadle lever horizontally pivoted at its lower end, a plunger pivotally :connected to the upper end 0f said treadle lever and passing through a second opening in said frontal panel to engage the over-` lapping portion of said face panel, a forwardly extending arm integral with said lever intermediate its upper and lower ends, said arm terminating in a foot pedal which when in inoperative condition is disposed in the path of forward movement of said drawer to deter inadvertent opening thereof.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,039,582 Chance May 5, 1936 2,060,339 Normand Nov. 10, 1936 2,512,118 Snow June 20, 1950 

